Mechanics at Its Finest: an Annotated Bibliography

Bibliography: “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job prospects for mechanics who complete postsecondary education training programs, such as those offered by trade schools and community colleges, should be good, while those with only a high school education will have a more difficult time”. Joseph, Chris “Benefits to an Auto Mechanic.” Demand Media. Ehow, 15 Aug. 2003. Web. The Bureau of Labor suggests that the benefits of becoming and automobile mechanic are much higher as you proceed to college. A credible and educated mechanic is going to get hired over an aspiring mechanic. College makes the chances of you getting a higher paying career more likely. Being educated in this type of field is critical to the work environment. If you are not educated the likely hood of a mistake is extreme which could cost you or the company that you are working for a large amount of money. College is recommended when going into mechanics but is not always a necessity depending on the shop or company hiring you. “Mechanics with five to nine years of experience earn between $13.98 and $20.40 per hour. Those with 20 or more years of experience can earn from $17.81 to $24.94 per hour as of 2010. Joseph, Chris “Benefits to an Auto Mechanic.” Demand Media. Ehow, 15 Aug. 2003. Web. Like any job opportunity the more experience that one has will aid your ability to find a higher paying job. Mechanics pay is off of an hourly wage and the shop fee. If you are a mechanic and you have experience then you can get jobs done quicker which in turn makes you a higher profit compared to an inexperienced mechanic who takes longer to complete tasks. The mechanics field is like a ladder. The faster you get the more money you make so the more equipment you can buy. By having your own shop and high end equipment you will become better known to the community and you will receive more clients. “One of the best things about being a mechanic is that you are doing something new every day”. Cahn, Jeff “Reasons to Become a Mechanic” List My Five. Auto Repair, 21 Oct. 2011. Web. If you are a person that craves to always be doing something new this is the job for you. Day to day you are always working on cars but you are not always working on the same cars or replacing the same parts on a car. This career choice comes along with a lot of problem solving. If something does not go as planned you have to figure out a way around it but still be able to fix the problem. “In order to succeed as a mechanic, you have to be constantly learning. This is not a field where you can just sit back and hope for the best. There is always something new to learn. Mechanics have always had to grow and adapt, from carburetors to fuel injection and now to hybrids. Now they have laser ignition systems in the works. If you stop learning, you stop earning”. Cahn, Jeff “Reasons to Become a Mechanic” List My Five. Auto Repair, 21 Oct. 2011. Web. Cars have evolved over time as mechanics have been forced to evolve. A repair might be presented to you that you have never accomplished before or that you are not familiar with but you still have to fix dilemma that is purposed to you. If you decided that you can’t do the work because you stopped learning or you don’t want to make the mistake you are losing money and some other shop is going to get the business. You have to keep an open mind and learn constantly as cars get more complex. In this field of interest you need to have a good memory on how to resolve predicaments. In turn if you do not remember how to resolve a particular problem, the time you spend trying to remember or trying to learn again is money that you are wasting, because shops basically operate off of a flat rate. This is the amount of money paid by the customer up front, for a certain amount of hours. The only way to make a profit is to finish within or before the set amount of time is up. “There is a great satisfaction in seeing a car come in on a tow truck and leaving the shop with the customer driving it home because you fixed it. As they say, "Enjoy what you do and you 'll never work a day in your life". Cahn, Jeff “Reasons to Become a Mechanic” List My Five. Auto Repair, 21 Oct. 2011. Web. If you enjoy helping people and making their life easier than this is a good job for you. When you help someone that needs their car for daily activities it is a great feeling knowing that their life was put on hold and you are the one that made if resume. To be a mechanic you need to have good communication with people. If customers come is and aren’t able to pay the flat rate you have to be able to compromise and not lose business or the trust of you customers. If you earn the trust of the customers and show them that this is your passion and it’s not all about the money they will most likely come back to you instead of another shop. “While most shops don 't offer the normal benefits -- medical/dental/vision/401K, etc. -- you do get the benefit of being able to work on your vehicles at a discount. You pay the shop cost for parts and you are the labor. You can keep your family 's vehicles up and running cheap. Cahn, Jeff” “Reasons to Become a Mechanic” List My Five. Auto Repair, 21 Oct. 2011. Web. Most jobs come with the benefit of health and medical insurance. Mechanics does not have that option. Although a high risk job of getting injured it is not a complete deal breaker. Mechanics have the advantage to help friends and family out with maintaining their cars to save them money. With the money that you save on car repairs for your family you can buy separate insurance for about the same cost. Perhaps you own your own shop you will have the option of getting and supply medical coverage for you and your employees. Even though mechanics doesn’t have a fantastic insurance plan it is not a deal breaker for people with a passion for cars. Not to mention when you get credibility in the industry, nicer and more expensive cars will come in to be worked on. This job is definitely not the most beneficial but is not the least either. Mechanics make decent money according to how well they work and how fast they get the job done. If you feel like you have to do something different every day or you feel like you need to always be busy this is the career for you. This career is all about learning and fixing. Mechanics is a great deal of manual labor, lifting, replacing, and fixing everyday problems that are presented to you. There will always be a demand for Auto mechanics because of the growing car market. More and more cars are made every day which creates a demand for mechanics. Mechanics is my passion and my love and with all my knowledge I hope to help the community.